The Girl With The Five Lads is a Fibromyalgia blog started in 2015. It is all about my daily life with my five sons, our two dogs and our baby tortoise. I write a lot of health and illness, passions, holistic therapies, personal thoughts and our day to day life together.

Thursday, 16 November 2017

The menopause cave and fibromyalgia

At the beautiful age of forty-six, I am entering the cave called the menopause. It is a strange one for me as I do not really have much family information to go on as most of the women in my family have had pre menopause hysterectomies. This gives me no idea at all of when my Mother entered this phase as she was already on Hormone Therapy (HRT) at my age.

I had a hysterectomy in my thirties due to endometriosis but my ovaries were not affected so they remained. They have not bothered me at all since my hysterectomy, they just continue to erupt beautifully each month into a non-existent fallopian tube. They do not even cause any disrupt with Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) now, the last cyst was during pregnancy with my second son twenty-one years ago. I know I am blessed with this, many women continue to suffer beyond surgery.

So what is the menopause?

"The menopause is a natural part of ageing that usually occurs between 45 and 55 years of age, as a woman's oestrogen levels decline. In the UK, the average age for a woman to reach the menopause is 51. However, around 1 in 100 women experience the menopause before 40 years of age."

I have been plagued all my life with female hormone issues thankfully I now feel balanced, I have fibromyalgia to thank for helping me to find this balance. So I am going to decorate that menopause cave with purple gingham curtains, polka dot bows, crochet blankets and make it the happiest cave ever.

Does it really have to be the dreaded midlife female black cave? Certainly for many women (and their loved ones it feels like!)

Sorry if I bore you with technical stuff here, I learned all this CBD stuff through trying to find a balance of symptoms with Fibromyalgia but trust me it will help to carry on reading.

Surprisingly, the endocannabinoid system (ECS) does have a massive part to play in the menopause. ECS is actually a network of cell receptors and the corresponding molecules that bind to them. The ECS has lots of different functions but it primarily helps to maintain balance in the body.

This helps to regulate:

Appetite and energy metabolism

Sleep

Mood

Immune function

Reproductive cycles

Body Temperature

Pain

Menopause is controlled by female oestrogen levels and interestingly when a women's oestrogen peaks, so do the levels of endocannabinoid.

Having low oestrogen levels can have a massive impact on your moods. Hense why HRT is given to ease menopause.

Endocannabinoids are the chemical messengers that tell your body to get these processes moving and when to stop. They help maintain holistic balance in the body. When the ECS is disrupted, any one of these things can fall out of balance, this can contribute to a wide variety of conditions such as fibromyalgia and Menopause.

If your body cannot produce enough endocannabinoids, you might be in for some rough symptoms. But, where do endocannabinoids come from?

Your body creates endocannabinoids with the help of fatty acids. A diet rich in Omega-3 fatty acids is important for this but it is quite difficult to maintain the levels needed. This is how Cannabidiol oil (CBD) comes in as essential. CBD hemp oil is made from high-CBD, low-THC hemp, unlike medical marijuana products, which are usually made from plants with high concentrations of psychoactive tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Because hemp contains only trace amounts of THC, these hemp oil products are non-psychoactive. (in other terms you will not get stoned/high, not one little bit!) Now I am not here to judge, there is massive support for the use of medicated Marijuana and the menopause but with five children I am not wanting any highs and my lungs are already broken due to asthma so I opt for CBD oil.

Cannabidiol (CBD) has mood lifting properties, helps regulate hormones, body temp and pain so why are women not reaching for this to help with menopause? Just because something is a natural process of female life why should we suffer in a dark cave?

The answer is simple, many women do not know about it and simply believe they only have HRT as a helper. Also many women do not realiseit is legal here in the United Kingdom. Many doctors refuse to hand out HRT and even when they do it seems to be a "one dosage suits all" approach so unless you obtain a full (often private) endocrine screen you do not know what levels of hormone replacement you actually need.

The CBD oil I currently use is this one by CBD Brothers I must state I have no affiliation with this company at all and I am not being paid, sponsored to promote. I am simply a woman that tried many CBD products over various periods of time mainly to assist with Fibromyalgia and besides a US more expensive patch I found this one to work best long term for me.

Please CHECK YOUR OWN STATE LAWS for the legalities of CBD. I know it is legal here in the UK but many US states have different complex laws so do some research.

Do I believe this one product is a wonder cure? No not at all, we often expect way too much from one aspect of management. I guess it is easy for me to view things with a more holistic approach as that is the profession I am trained in.

CBD for me is simply one cog in the management wheel that I feel is essential. I also use conventional medicine for anxiety called Escitalopram, also known by the brand names Lexapro and Cipralex is a medication used for treating depression and general anxiety disorder. It is in the drug class called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).Daily I listen to my body and sleep when needed, crochet and meditate for relaxation, limit myself with caffeinated drinks, avoid chemical home products and opt for Nag champa to scent my home and balancing aromatherapy oils such as rose otto, geranium, ylang-ylang, and lemongrass.

I feel I am not in the full depths of menopause (maybe I am and do not realise) but I certainly will not wear a sackcloth, walk my black dog and be told many women before me have suffered and got through it so I should just be a good woman and endure. No chance, this philistine approach to female only issues should be dead and buried in a dark deep cave.

If you are struggling, go and talk to your family doctor. If you are depressed and feel helpless get on medication to boost your serotonin level. Antidepressants are not the vile medication some fools would have us believe. They changed my life and could give you yours back.

Treat yourself to a hormone balancing aromatherapy massage. In fact, it is not a treat, this is as essential as anything. You as a woman would go and purchase a product for a family member if it helped an illness, well now go and purchase an essential monthly massage. If you are UK based like myself then have a look at your local training colleges they offer reduced therapies, women's centers, Groupon voucher deals.

Book yourself in for a gentle yoga and relaxation class.

Start to crochet or knit, it is an amazing therapy. I taught myself through watching youtube only a year ago and have never looked back! Menopause is not something you have to suffer alone. If you have any top tips then please write them in the comments for others to read. I am sure this will not be the only blog on this subject so look out for some more in the future.

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